Sir John Thomas Gilbert, LLD, FSA,

RIA A ria (; , feminine noun derived from ''río'', river) is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea. Definitions Typically rias have a dendriti ...

(23 January 1829 – 23 May 1898) was an Irish archivist, antiquarian and historian.

Early life and education

John Thomas Gilbert was born on 23 January 1829, the second son of John Gilbert, an English Protestant, who was Portuguese consul in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, and Marianne Gilbert, an Irish Catholic, daughter of Henry Costello. He was born in

Jervis Street Jervis Street () is a street on the northside of Dublin, Ireland laid out in the 17th century and named for Sir Humphrey Jervis. It runs from Parnell Street in the north to Ormond Quay Lower in the south. It is crossed by Mary Street, Ab ...

, Dublin. His early days were spent at Brannockstown,

County Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...

. Gilbert, Rosa Mulholland
''Life of Sir John T. Gilbert, LL.D., F.S.A., Irish historian and archivist, vice-president of the Royal Irish Academy, secretary of the Public Record office of Ireland''
London: Longmans, 1905. He was educated at Bective College, Dublin, and at

Prior Park College Prior Park College is a co-educational public school for both boarding and day pupils in Bath, south-west England. Its main building, Prior Park, stands on a hill overlooking the city and is a Grade I listed building. The adjoining Prior P ...

near

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, England. He received no university training, as his mother was unwilling for him to attend the Anglican

Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...

, which was at that time the only university in Dublin. In 1846, his family moved to

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, a Dublin suburb, where he resided until his death.

Career

At age 19, he was elected to the Council of the Celtic Society, and thus became associated with some of the famous writers and orators of the age: Butt, Ferguson, Mitchel, and Smith O'Brien. His essay, ''Historical Literature of Ireland'', appeared in 1851, and four years later he became a Member of the

Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the natural sciences, arts, literature, and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned society and one of its le ...

, and secretary of the Irish Celtic and Archaeological Society, whose members included

O'Donovan The O'Donovan family is an ancient Irish nobility, Irish noble family. Their patronymic surname derives from Irish ''Ó Donnabháin'', meaning the grandsons or descendants of Donnubán, referring to the 10th century ruler of the Uí Fidgenti, ...

, O'Curry,

Graves A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grave ...

Todd Todd or Todds may refer to: Places Australia * Todd River, an ephemeral river United States * Todd Valley, California, also known as Todd, an unincorporated community * Todd, Missouri, a ghost town * Todd, North Carolina, an unincorporated c ...

, and

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. Gilbert held a number of important posts in historical and antiquarian societies, including serving as librarian of the

for 34 years. He established the Todd lectureship in Celtic. Gilbert's works in Celtic studies included photographic reproductions of ancient Irish manuscripts and editions of '' Leabhar na h-Uidhre'' and ''

Leabhar Breac ('The Speckled Book'; Middle Irish: ), now less commonly ('Great Book of Dun Doighre') or possibly erroneously, ('The Speckled Book of the MacEgans'), is a medieval Irish vellum manuscript containing Middle Irish and Hiberno-Latin writings. T ...

''.

Personal life

In 1891 Gilbert married the Irish novelist Rosa Mulholland.

Honours

In 1862, Gilbert was awarded the Royal Irish Academy's

Cunningham Medal The Cunningham Medal is the most prestigious award conferred by the Royal Irish Academy (RIA), the premier learned society of Ireland. It is awarded once every three years for, "Outstanding contributions to scholarship and the objectives of the A ...

. Gilbert received the honorary degree of

LL.D. A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

from the Royal University in 1892, and five years later was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

for his services to archaeology and history.

Death and legacy

Gilbert died on 23 May 1898. The Gilbert Library, in Dublin's

Pearse Street Pearse Street () is a major street in Dublin. It runs from College Street in the west to MacMahon Bridge in the east, and is one of the city's longest streets. It has several different types of residential and commercial property along its le ...

, is named after him.

Works

*''History of the City of Dublin (1854-9)'', in three volumes. *''History and Treatment of the Public Records of Ireland'' (1863) which caused considerable sensation, arguing to the government the futility of entrusting the publication of Irish State documents to men unskilled in the Irish language. *''History of the Viceroys of Ireland'' (1865) *''Calendar of the Ancient Records of Dublin (7 vols., 1889–98)'' *''History of the Irish Confederation and the War in Ireland, 1641-9 (7 vols., 1882–91)'' *''Jacobite Narrative of the War in Ireland, 1688-91'' (1892).

References

Citations

Sources

External links

Books by John Thomas Gilbert Online
''University of Pennsylvania Library''
A contemporary History of Affairs in Ireland, Vol. I, Part I.A contemporary History of Affairs in Ireland, Vol. I, Part II.A contemporary History of Affairs in Ireland, Vol. II.A contemporary History of Affairs in Ireland, Vol. III.

A Passion for Books : The Gilbert Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert, John Thomas, Sir 1829 births 1898 deaths 19th-century Irish historians Irish antiquarians Members of the Royal Irish Academy Writers from Dublin (city) Knights Bachelor People educated at Prior Park College Fellows_of_the_Society_of_Antiquaries_of_London